Three Spirit Livener

Three Spirit was one of the first brands to explore the idea of offering alternatives to  recreate the pleasure-inducing properties of alcohol, rather than simply mimicking its taste.  It acknowledges that many people drink alcohol not only for the flavour but for the effect, something often overlooked in the low alcohol world.  Is it really possible to come up with a drink that recreates some of the pleasures of a couple of glasses of wine, without the harmful effects?  Three Spirit don’t offer a clone effect; their drink, they claim, offers a naturally lively euphoric effect, using a range of ingredients including guyusa, schisandra and caffeine.  Lots of caffeine.

The brochure that comes with this bottle, its cover decorated with a vaguely masonic symbol promised the Livener would would leave me ‘primed, gamed and ready to go’. The dark matt bottle held mildly sinister but alluring promise.  I measured out 50 ml, feeling rather like a Victorian youth stepping into an opium den, and sniffed at the dark red liquid.  It was fruity, vinegary, a complex smell, tugging at my memory – what does that remind me of? There was a lot of body in the rich mouth-filling flavours, thanks, I suspect to the inspired use of pomegranate molasses, with its mouth-puckering qualities, the tannins from the green tea, and the pleasing acidity of the cider vinegar.  Whoever blended this really knows their stuff and mixes key ingredients with a confident hand. The finish is spicy with a generous hit of heat.  It’s very satisfying.

Did it work?  I rather think it did.  I shared it with a friend who has been going to bed regularly at 9.30 and she was still with us at midnight, full of zest.  I felt a bit buzzy, certainly up for a sociable evening.  It’s hard to measure these things, but I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt.